12 At-Home Exercises To Improve Your Golf Game

Exercising away from the golf course is a great way to improve when you are on it. With American’s currently spending more time at home than ever before, staying active has never been so important. What follows are 12 exercises to get and keep your mind and body in shape for your next tee time at the Golf Club of the Everglades!

Cat Camels

You can improve mobilization in the spine while increasing strength in your hip and lower back with this one. It can aid in your posture and will improve rotation through your swing.

Get down on all fours and keep your knees under your hips and your hands below your shoulders. Make sure your head raises up and tailbone sticks out as you sink your back in the cat phase. Lower your head and tailbone when you arch your back in the camel phase.

Core Rotations With Weight

Building up your abs not only gives you a solid core, but it also gives you extra strength for a more powerful swing. This exercise helps promote good posture and flexibility while also decreasing the odds of injury.

You can use anything from a one-pound hand weight to a heavy medicine ball. While sitting on the floor with bent knees and your feet hovering above the ground, hold your weight in front of your chest with bent elbows rotating at the waist to both sides evenly. Keeping your feet elevated will help isolate the rectus abdominis for the best results possible.

Hand Walks

Golf is a game of repetitive movements, with you swinging from one side of your body many times throughout a round. This can lead to issues like tennis elbow. Preventative exercises keep you playing, which improves your game.

This exercise has you bending over so that your hands and feet are touching the ground. You walk your hands out into a push-up pose and then walk your feet towards your hands, stopping when you feel a good stretch.

Standard Push-Ups

This traditional exercise, if done correctly, requires input from and strength from many parts of your body. It is a great way to build up strength and helps with stability in your core region, such as your hips.

Keep your hands under your shoulders and your feet spread about shoulder’s width apart. Lowering your body to just above the floor and back up in a controlled motion. To enhance this exercise, squeeze your core muscles before you move to the top of the move.

The Body Turn

This is a fantastic way to build flexibility in your backswing. If done properly, you should give your trailing shoulder a nice stretch, along with the back muscles around it. You can also use this for a warm-up before a round.

Use a club so you can reach as far as possible. Keep the head of the club in the palm of your trailing hand with the fingers open as you go through your swing rotating only your hips.

The Glute Bridge

If you are looking to work the muscles you are usually sitting on throughout the day, this might be the exercise for you. This key part of your core is often overlooked and it aids in stabilizing your pelvis.

With your upper back on the floor and your hips in the air, keep your knees at 90-degrees and your feet flat. A trick people use is to place a rolled-up towel between their legs. Press your hips towards the sky until just your shoulders and feet are touching the ground and hold for 30-60 seconds. 

The Dead Bug

This simple exercise will strengthen your core, especially the spine and lower back muscles. You will be able to more effectively transfer energy from your lower to the upper body. It can also help to relieve lower back pain.

Make sure to keep your back flat against the ground, keeping your hips and lower back motionless. Once in position, go through the motions by simultaneously lifting your left arm/right leg then your right arm/left leg.

The Pelvis Rotation

Watching a great golf swing, you will notice that the player is able to really move their hips separately from their upper body. By stretching your torso muscles, you are able to build-up energy that transfers into your swing.

Use your club to help keep your upper body straight as you move your hips. Keep your feet planted firmly and focus on isolating your hips as you move from center towards one side and then the other.

The Side Step-Up

Looking for added core support that focuses on the upper legs? This exercise will help develop more hip stability that can aid in transferring power to your upper body during the swing.

Start off with a bench or step no higher than eight inches. If you raise your toe on the lower foot it will force the leg on the platform to lift your entire weight. Make sure to completely straighten your leg as you lift.

The Sword Draw

While this may benefit your base, it is your shoulders that really get the workout here. Keeping your golf posture and moving slowly will provide the best results and add to your shoulder’s rotational range.

Use a light hand-weight to offer some resistance as you move. Stay focused on your stance so that you don’t fall out of it. Start with the weight in your right hand with the weight hovering above the left side of your hip. Raise your slightly bent arm so that it crosses your body and is perpendicular to the ground. Pause as you reach the apex with the weight, just as you would with a club. Switch arms and repeat. 

The Split-Squat

This exercise works each leg, strengthening one while stretching the other. This will help your mobility as well as your balance, both of which are important to a golfer. It also stretches the pelvis and lower back and can help relieve aches in these areas.

You can kneel with the front foot flat and the back knee on the ground. Standing, pausing, and squatting works through the motions here. Use the wall or a chair to help to maintain your balance.

90/90 Shoulder Stretch

You will improve your shoulder range, helping to increase your swing rotation, power, and speed. This exercise will also increase your ability to move your shoulders separately from your hips.

While standing in a doorframe or the end of a wall, lift your arm so that your elbow is bent at 90 degrees and your bicep is perpendicular to the ground. Place your arm squarely against the wall while lightly pushing forward with your body. Switch arms and repeat.